From: Michael Straight <straight@email.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Dr. Crane's plot
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2000 14:12:17 

On Wed, 21 Jun 2000 akt@attglobal.net wrote:

> > On the prophecy thing--does anyone in the books ever attempt to make
> > a prophecy (augury) or even have a dream that doesn't foreshadow
> > events to come?  I think that although there's no time-travel going
> > on here, lots of things seem as locked in as in BOTNS.  Interestingly,
> > Silk's first enlightenment is sparse on scenes from the future.
> > Is any explanation (other than Silk's "talent" and self-fulfilling
> > prophecy with respect to the thefts in Lake) given for the wild
> > success of augury/random-page-opening?
> 
> Well, this is standard practice in fiction, even non-genre fiction. We
> (readers) always make subconcious or semi-concious note of dreams,
> prophecies, fortune cookies, Tarot cards and also the ravings of the
> mad.

But in most books this is kind of a wink at the reader; we're not
supposed to ask why the madman's ravings should forshadow events in the
book.  In the Long Sun, however, one of the important points is that the
religion of Pas, including divination via sacrifice is fake.  We're
supposed to ask questions about what exactly is going on with the
religious stuff, so we need some other explanation for why the prophesies
are coming true, e.g. the Outsider, some sort of psionic talent of the
superembryos, some sort of influence from the sacred windows, etc.

-Rostrum


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